Turkey’s vocation

Contrary to what is stated in the article “Machiavellian’ Erdogan lobbies to join EPP’ (European Voice, 6-12 March), the Justice and Development Party (AKP) was not established on a religious basis. Our party, which defines itself as Conservative Democrat, has adopted an identity which attaches importance to moral values, primarily human rights.

These universal moral values stand as a natural link and a common denominator between Turkey and Europe. EPP-AKP relations should be considered in this framework, and one must admit that the principles adopted by our party coincide with those of the EPP in this context.

AKP, having secured a parliamentary majority in Turkey on its own, sees European integration as one of its foremost objectives. Our party has repeatedly expressed this aim in its election programme, in the action plan prepared following the elections and in declarations made in many other fora. To attain this aim, our government realised substantial improvement in legal and political fields.

These achievements have, in the meantime, proved the European vocation of Turkey. The fact that the AKP is tending towards dialogue and cooperation with European political parties sharing the same tendencies

is a sign of the mutual desire

for rapprochement.

There are no grounds to look for other reasons for the AKP’s efforts, and to put forward irrelevant explanations for AKP’s contacts with the CDU Party in Germany, a country that is a traditional friend of Turkey in Europe. All these relations are developments that should be deemed normal within the framework of European politics.

It would be more appropriate to define these relationships as a

common-sense approach, rather than a ’Machiavellian provocation’. It should not be forgotten that dialogue, cooperation and exchange of ideas are at the very root of the democratic values that we share.